Montessori Nursery Essentials - What You Really Need for Your Baby
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Check off the Montessori nursery on your list. Your pregnant brain needs relief. And getting your baby’s nursery ready is such a big task.
This is an overview of the Montessori essentials you’ll find in a Montessori nursery. And as you will see, Montessori goes hand in hand with minimalism.
The Montessori nursery can be divided into 4 areas:
Feeding
Sleeping
Movement
Babycare
If your baby has her own room, all the above areas can be there. If you find yourself in a much smaller home, don’t worry. This division will help you decide where to place each of these 4 areas.
Feeding
Nursing chair with ottoman and a side table
No matter if you nurse or bottle-feed, you’ll spend a lot of time doing that. Do yourself a favor and get a comfortable nursing chair. We have an older model of this one. What I like about this nursing chair is that it’s comfortable and it’s versatile. It has adjustable legs so you can turn it into an armchair. The nursing chair will become a reference point for your baby. Anytime you sit there, she will know it’s time to eat. An ottoman helps you to keep a healthy posture during nursing. I used cushions instead of an ottoman, and it worked well for me.
A side table is a must. It will hold your snacks, your water, and anything else you need.
Sleeping
First few weeks: in a Moses basket or a bassinet.
Later on: on a floor bed
During the first few weeks, you’ll want to have your newborn close to you during the night. Before I had Emma, I knew that newborns eat often. I had no idea that often means basically all the time. And that before you burp your baby after an hour and a half feeding, it’s time for the next one. Having Emma sleeping in a bedside bassinet right next to me helped me keep my sanity during the first weeks.
When both you and your baby are ready, she can start sleeping on a floor bed. The floor bed is a low mattress (not more than 10cm/4 inches high) placed on the floor. If you have enough space, get a double mattress. Babies move all over the place when they sleep. Having more freedom to do so will prevent them from rolling off and waking up screaming. A large mattress will also allow you to nurse your baby while laying down or sleep next to her when needed. The floor bed can be placed in your bedroom or your baby’s nursery.
Movement area
The movement area is the place where your baby practices her movements. Even if it’s only for a couple of minutes a day, give your baby some floor time from the beginning. The movement area can be in your baby’s nursery or in your living room. We set up Emma’s movement area in the living room. That way, I could see her while I was doing other things around the house.
Movement area essentials:
Soft mat - any low soft mat that stays in one place. This is where your baby will be practicing her movements and watch her hanging mobile. We decided to go with soft tiles as they are versatile and can be used later on as a play area. To isolate our baby from cold hardwood floors, we put a sheepskin and a topponcino on top of the soft tiles.
Topponcino - a small pillow (lounger) that was specifically designed for newborns. Topponcino helps you hold your baby, pass her to relatives or move her easily to her bed. You can sleep with your topponcino before your baby is born. That way, your newborn will feel safe and secure as her topponcino will smell exactly like her mama.
Mirror - a horizontal mirror placed next to the mat will give your baby feedback about what she is doing. She will also be able to observe her room and see what is happening in her environment.
Mobiles - hanging mobiles will stimulate your baby’s sight.
Shelf for toys - a low shelf for your baby’s toys. Your baby won’t need the shelf from the beginning. But it’s good to have it ready. It gives you a better idea about how many toys your baby needs (it’s less than you think).
Movement area
Babycare
Changing table and/or changing pad
Some Montessori teachers are against the use of changing tables. But here is the thing. Pregnancy and labor put a lot of pressure on your back. Your back will need some extra love after your baby is born. To me, that extra love wasn’t bending over and changing my baby on the floor many times a day. The changing table did help me to recover faster. Plus you can store baby clothes in the drawers of the changing table. Your baby’s safety is a priority. Besides her clothes, you will need other things at hand - clean diapers, wipes, a diaper pail, or a trash can. We stored all the things we needed in a utility cart next to the changing table. Keep in mind that your baby outgrows the changing table pretty fast. Consider getting it secondhand. Another option is to place a changing pad on top of a dresser and change your baby there.
Other essentials
Low hanging art - pictures hung at the child’s level will beautify your baby’s nursery. Art can be hung above your baby’s toy shelf or anywhere else depending on your space.
Bookshelf - you’ll need a space to display your baby’s books. In the beginning, a simple basket will do. Later on, you might want to get a bookshelf like this. Ikea wall storage is also often used in Montessori nurseries to display books.
Please share this post with any expecting mom who wants to set up a Montessori nursery for her baby.
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